Largest Telescope in North America, 2nd in the World | McDonald Observatory, Hobby-Eberly Telescope

[@vloggergerritputtershoek]

thanks for a nice vlog

[@TroutWest]

Ya'll are getting around pretty good these days. We're enjoyin' the adventures. Thanks for taking us along

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. When we road trip, we hit everything along the way. Hiking, National Parks, points of interest, etc. It really add variety to the trip. It is a great way to kill time while waiting for the snow to melt and the ice to come off the backcountry lakes too. Thanks for following along. Have a great day.

[@BeforeIKicktheBucket1]

Very cool...I would have never guessed that the largest is in Texas...I would have thought that Hawaii ... well, live and learn... thanks!

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. We saw it on the map and had to check it out. It was neat to see and learn about too. Maybe Hawaii might have too much cloud cover with the tropical storms to be a prime location. I'm not sure how they determine the where. Thanks for watching. Have a nice day.

[@EpicAdventureCouple]

Great adventure our fellow travelers . Good info on the worlds largest North American telescope 🔭 Stay blessed friends 🫵🙏😇

[@Packsalot]

Thank you. It was a fun quick visit to the observatories. They were pretty impressive to see. Thanks for watching. Have a wonderful day.

[@EventyrsorenDenmark]

Awsome 😮 such an interesting place 😊😊😊

[@Packsalot]

Thanks for watching. This place was on our driving route to our next National Park visit so we had to stop and check it out. It was pretty neat to see. Take care and have a great day.

[@Spirit_of_Celestine]

Amazing sharing... Have a peaceful time 🌷💖

[@Packsalot]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video. Have a nice day.

[@waikarimoana]

Awesome trip and fascinating footage Steve, enjoyed the watch team, thanks, thumbs up and greetings from NZ,, Tony.

[@Packsalot]

Thank you, Tony! Glad you enjoyed seeing the telescope. It was pretty big and impressive. Have a wonderful day.

[@VoyagesetPassions]

Great observatory, with it, see an eclipse must be amazing, thanks for sharing and have a nice week end

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. This was our first time visiting an observatory. It was interesting to see and to know it was the largest in North America too. Pretty neat stop on our way to our next destination. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@NBNatureTrailvan]

Amazing places - these sort of things blow my mind!! Fascinating to see inside the domes, and see the mechanics. Plus some amazing views from the Observatory across Texas to Mexico. Have a great weekend Steve and Kristy

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. It was not what we were expecting to see inside but still interesting to see how it worked. I guess the largest one works on collection of light rather than actually looking through a lens like the others. Technology way above my head but interesting to see. Glad you enjoyed the video. Have a great day.

[@AlanMETALMAN]

Drove passed the previous largest (now 3rd) Jodrell Bank about 15 years ago but we were on a road trip and did not have the time to stop. Shame that you got there late but still pretty cool getting inside and what a size they were close up - some view up there too. I was always told the biggest was the Gran Telescopic Canarias but I suppose everything is always supposed to be bigger in Texas lol. Cheers Alan

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Alan. It was a pretty cool stop. The telescopes were so big and the technology is mind boggling. I'm sure like everything else they will continue to make a bigger one again and again. Texas does have that myth about it. LOL. Have a great day.

[@pechaboii]

Awesome vlog Steve & Kristy

[@Packsalot]

Thank you for watching. Have a nice day.

[@beyoncefraylevlog9123]

Hello my friend! It's really nice to see this largest telescope in North America! That was so cool of you because you really made so much effort just for us to be able to watch this beautiful and artistic showcases! The tour was great and the way you narrate it for us was incredibly great! Have a nice day friend!

[@Packsalot]

Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed seeing the observatory. It was our first time visiting an observatory. It was on our driving route to our next destination so we wanted to stop and visit. It was neat that it was the largest in North America too. Plus it was interesting to see the inside of it too. It was quite different than what I expected. Still cool to see. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@PlacesWeGoExploring]

It is really cool to check the largest telescope out in North America. Probably with the guided tour, you may have got more information about its real time functions. Thanks for the share, Steve & Kristy.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks for watching. We agree. We just could not get there quick enough with the drive after leaving Carlsbad Caverns. It was super cool to see and read about though. It definitely was not what I was expecting to see inside. Interesting to think about the technology. Take care and have a wonderful day.

[@AdventuresAreOutThere]

What a fun time at the observatory. My boys would really like visiting here, thanks for show us this place!!

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. It was a pretty interesting place to visit especially if you like astronomy. I'll bet there night programs are super amazing too. Thanks for watching. Have a wonderful day.

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

Nice video as always. Wishing you a fantastic weekend 😊

[@Packsalot]

Thank you. I hope you have a great weekend as well. Take care.

[@DroningVeteran]

That is pretty cool.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. It was a neat stop along our route. The biggest observatory and the highest road in Texas was too much to pass up! Have a great day.

[@JenniferLupine]

Hi Steve and Kristy- thanks for doesn’t us these telescopes! They’re really interesting! Super nice that they’re open to the public with educational displays … it’s a bit mind boggling to think of how they collect and interpret data. I bet college students studying astronomy love it there!! Great to see how they’re all up on the mountain top and see the open landscape- must have amazing dark skies! 😄👍👍☀️☀️

[@Packsalot]

Hi Jennifer! It was an interesting stop along our route to Big Bend. It was not quite what we were expecting to see but still super cool. We were thinking there was going to be some big lens to look through. Not! LOL. It is mind boggling how the facility works and the technology was certainly out of this world! Worth the visit. There was not much around there for light pollution. We were pretty remote from any towns. I'll bet the night skies are amazing. Have a great day.

[@JenniferLupine]

@@Packsalot You too! 👌

[@BackpackingWithJason]

That was really cool to see. That telescope was huge. Do you think they can see Uranus from there? 😁😁

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Jason. Well, I do know it does a great job looking in dark places! LOL. It was fun to see this as we were passing through the area. It was huge and the technology was mind boggling. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@MinuteontheMountain]

Another great stop on the trip. Looks like you got there in the nick of time before it closed for the day.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks John. This was a neat stop. We had a plan to visit the next day if needed but our quick stop was enough for this trip. We may come back and do a night program sometime. Looks pretty awesome. Have a great day.

[@OSMOneStepMore]

Sure it's a wonderful experience to experience and see the largest telescope in North America!!! I too would love to be there with you to experience this. 😉Fantastically!! New friends😉😉 L23

[@Packsalot]

Thank you! It was pretty impressive to see. The technology is amazing. Glad you enjoyed the video. Have a great day.

[@wendingourway]

Cool! One of our local universities has a fabulous observatory and was able to get a spot in the booking for an open house a few years ago...absolutely fantastic!! Was quite something to see the roof open and all the precision gears operating and not just look through the telescope, but to see it all projected too!

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Bruce. This place was interesting to visit. It was on our way to our next destination so we thought shy not check it out. Largest observatory in North America and highest elevation of paved road in Texas was too much to pass up! LOL. That is cool that you have seen these before near you. This was our first time seeing an observatory. Super cool. Have a great day.

[@DriverNganjuk]

Selamat sore 3:52

[@Packsalot]

Hello. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@StacySalmans]

Very cool! The science nerd in me really wants to see this firsthand.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Stacy. I think you may need to nerd your way here and also sign up for one of their night programs as well as the day tour when you do. Have a great day.

[@paddle_hike]

That's Cool!!! We have a big one too on Mount Megantic (which I haven't hiked yet) ... it's a 3 mountains loop. Very interesting video my friend. Impressive Telescope! Take care

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Alex. It was a neat place to visit and see. Sounds like you have an adventure visiting the one on the mountain loops. Can't wait to see your adventure. Have a great day.

[@HappyPlaceCamping]

This is something I never would have thought to go visit. I never been to an observatory. It really is big. Sure looks like all that sits out in the middle of nowhere. Definitely no light pollution out there. Thanks for showing us around. Not sure I'd visit. So cool to see it in the vid.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. This place was on our route between the National Parks we were visiting. Astronomy is well above my knowledge but we learned that it was the largest in North America so we had to stop and check it out. The views from the top of the mountain were pretty neat. Plus it was the highest paved road in Texas. Had to check that out as well too. I suppose we are easily entertained! LOL. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@JimHayesHiking]

Pretty cool telescopes! I wonder if you can see Grandfather Mtn. from there?,LOL!

[@Packsalot]

Well I have a hunch. Given the elevation of each, in conjunction with consideration of the curvature of the earth, I believe they would still have clear line of site and be able to see Grandfather Mountain! LOL. That mountain is on my list within about 3 years! Have a great day.

[@DonnaTaibossigai]

Wow, that's a pretty amazing telescope - I've been to smaller ones which have been amazing to visit. This one would be truly amazing to see it move and what it can look at in the night sky. Looks like there's lots of info to learn about it, too.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Donna. It was pretty neat to visit here even though much of the technology was above my head. I was expecting the largest telescope to actually be lens but it was not. Interesting to learn about. Thanks for watching. Have a wonderful day.

[@HereToCheers]

Who knew telescopes could be so massive... and loud LoL Looks like space mountain inside. Aren't we all a little lost in this universe 😁😁 A shame you didn't have more time, but that's how it goes some times. Keep chasing those high points of Texas!

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. We were in awe at how big this these telescopes were. It was not what we expected either. Super cool to see and learn about. We were racing against time after doing Carlsbad Caverns earlier in the day followed by a long drive to get to the observatory. we could not pass it up though. We'll take what we got given the time we had. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@IvorsTravels]

Interesting to see these wonderfully located telescopes. We have a large Radio Telescope near us at Jodrell Bank which has a 250 foot diameter. It is the third largest fully steerable radio telescope after Green Bank in Virginia and one near Bonn in Germany. There are several different categories of telescope. The radio telescopes do not need to be up high so not so wonderfully located. We would have liked to visit here ourselves. Great share once more. Best wishes from the UK once more.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks for watching. It is pretty amazing to learn about the differences and the technologies. Awesome that you have a large one near you as well. That is fun to be able to see them up close and inside. Mind boggling and impressive. Glad you enjoyed the video. Have a great day.

[@tangenttrails]

Very nice! I’ve not been to these but did see them from across the way on the mountain summit we were on at last year’s Texas KZbinrs Meetup in the Davis Mountains.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks. That is cool that you could see it from your meetup. It was worth the stop being that we were already driving through the area on our way to Big Bend. Super interesting to learn about the facility. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.

[@HikeCamp]

Big ol telescope... Don't look anything like I expected.

[@Packsalot]

Thanks Max. We were thinking the same thing. Where was the lens? It was interesting to learn that they did not use one. They just collected the light and deciphered it somehow into an image. Pretty cool that is was the largest one in North America and was located on the highest paved road in Texas. We had to stop just for that! LOL. This place was on our route to our next destination, so we decided why not check it out. It was a fun stop. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.